(Corrects to read last year (not earlier this year), paragraph
2)
MILAN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Italian supercar brand Lamborghini
plans to roll out its first fully electric model at the end of
this decade, its Chief Executive Stephan Winkelmann said in
remarks confirmed on Tuesday by a company spokesperson.
The plan underscores an even more cautious approach by
Lamborghini - part of the Volkswagen Group - to
electrification, after Winkelmann last year said the brand's
first fully electric car model would appear in the second half
of the decade.
Lamborghini and other players in the high-performance sports
car market, which include Ferrari, Aston Martin
Lagonda and McLaren, are wrestling with how to shift
their ranges to battery power without losing the high
performance that supports their premium pricing.
Lamborghini's first fully electric model will be a
four-seater coupé sport utility (SUV), with a nod to the
tradition of grand tourers (GT), the spokeswoman said confirming
comments made by the Chief Executive to Italian press agency
ANSA.
Winkelmann reiterated Lamborghini would make its entire
lineup, including the Huracan and Aventador sports cars and the
Urus SUV, hybrid in two or three years.
This timetable, however, puts Lamborghini behind rival
Ferrari, which has already rolled out three hybrid models and
has promised to have a battery-electric car by 2025.
Winkelmann said sales volumes for this year were expected to
be in line with those of last year, when the brand shipped 8,405
cars, and that orders were already covering a good part of their
planned production.
(Reporting by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by David Evans)